Evening Mr. Dave hope you and your family are doing well. I've been watching since I was 16 and I'm 21 now. You've taught me alot and opened a new hobby to me. I wanted to say thanks for teaching so much and asking nothing from your viewers. We appreciate you Dave and everything you do for us as well. Have a good week.
I've tried a few folding shovels, from cheap ones to expensive ones. Nearly all failed quickly, usually the threads seize up and you can no longer take them down. Moved to the Cold Steel and while the handle is less convenient for packing it just works without any fuss, you can change out the handle for an improvised longer one if necessary, and it's much lighter.
Another thing about the wood handle shovels that are screwed and not pinned is that you can shove a 4-5 foot branch on it to get a full length shovel with little hassle
Same here. I ground the heads off one side and replaced with bolts and wingnuts. But I just had a light switch flip when he mentioned the wood screws. I’ll be making my own replacement handle (for practice) and using some short wood screws.
This is one of my favorite videos you've done, David! I'm an army veteran and I've been traveling the country, tent camping for the last 8 months on my Harley. Rough life. I can certainly attest to everything David Canterbury has said and I have more info. When I was in basic training, we used the tri-fold shovels to chop down small trees and all the soldiers who let the locknut slip out of place, broke their shovel. So if you're gonna use your Aims shovel for chopping, splitting, and trenching, make damn sure you are constantly checking and tightening your locknut. Additionally, I figured out a new way to break a military shovel recently. While I was traveling the coast of Oregon, I got really into building rocket stoves and hobo stoves. I thought It'd be a cool idea to fold my shovel perpendicular to itself and use it as a rocket stove. It worked really well and the handle acts as a stovetop for my frying pan. However, the heat from the fire melted the threads of the plastic locknut and welded it into place FOREVER. Hehehe. Lesson learned. The Gerber shovel is just as durable as the military shovel, David, I promise. I have anger issues, which I am working on. And one night I got frustrated while pounding in my tent stakes, because shovels make lousy hammers. So, I tried to break my Gerber tri-fold shovel. I swung it as hard as I could, as hard as I can at some hard-packed rocky desert dirt several times and threw it into a wash. It did not break, not at all. Gerber also makes a smaller, collapsible backpacking shovel. Do not buy it. It worked okay for digging, but as soon as you try to pick and trench with it, it breaks within a few swings. Just like the tri-fold shovels at Walmart. God bless you David Canterbury, you've been an amazing inspiration and mentor to me over the last year, watching your videos. Thank you for everything you do.
I paid $2.00 at a yard sale for a rusty Cold Steel shovel. It didn't take much work to clean it up, sharpen the edges, paint it, and put a beeswax/turpentine/ linseed oil finish on the handle. It lays beside the driver's seat in my pickup, held by a velcro strap in the seat cover. I haven't had to use it on snow or anything else, yet.
A shovel is a very underrated weapon. I found a shovel made by Bully tools that is about 3/4 the size of a USGI shovel. It doesnt fold. The handle is a piece of pipe welded to the spade. It weighs no more than a pound. I am a veteran(Army SAPPER) and take it from me it is the shit. I sharpened one side of it. They market it as a garden trowel.
I used to hate the idea of using a shovel to cut wood, but now I realize it's a huge advantage to carry my Condor tactical shovel. It's lighter and smaller than my tomahawk, but can do more stuff. The shovel doesn't have to be very sharp to build a small shelter.
Rabbi Goldstein, a Korean War veteran, told me that his shovel was his last weapon when fighting the Chinese. He said that he dispatched several with a shovel when his Colt 1911 and his S&W were empty.
I love my Cold Steel shovel. I've had people question my judgement for carrying a such a heavy item on backpacking excursions, but they sing a different tune when they see how fast I can process fire wood, make a fire pit, and dig a poop hole with it. LOL I also have a tri-fold e-tool, but find it underwhelming and have assigned it to a spot in my car camping gear. On such car trips, I often end up also taking the Cold Steel shovel and using it instead.
That Swedish one is cool. Love the T handle. My Cold Steel shovel has great handle, it drank about 20 coats of linseed oil after I got the varnish off, finally some beeswax. Perfect grain. Didn't come fully sharpened. I put an edge down one side
I was in the Corps for 12 years. I loved my E-tool. That thing was handy and tough. If you're out there for a few days, take a shovel. You will find loads of uses for it.
Avoid the Chinese knock-off trifold shovels. They're just awful. A few minutes into a light digging chore mine came apart and cut my hand severely enough that it required a trip to the hospital. Certifiable junk. I'd imagine their actual military shovels are as good as anyone else's but the stuff that ends up going to US commercial "tactical" market are garbage.
I have the titanium variant from Russia as well and I'm really pleased with it. It is MUCH lighter than my WWII vintage folder. The non-hardwood handle is a non-issue for me. I camp with an axe, so I don't need to use the shovel as a striking tool. The weight-saving from the lower-density handle complements the lightweight head for an extremely lightweight tool overall which is more than sufficiently robust.
@David Canterbury I agree, I’m Cold Steel Special Forces Shovel all the way. I know this an old video. Any chance of an update on that titanium one. Maybe even a link if it’s still available?
This three-folding thing I broke the first time when I went to my allotment, dug up a slightly larger human size bush with lot's of roots. The retaining nut part didn't stand up to stress forces apply and bent into itself.
Good reference! except the authentic Russian shovel actually uses birch wood for handle which is very strong wood also cost effective. Birch tree is widely spread type of hardwood there. For Russia it’s works all right. It’s been in use beginning with Russian Empire. The same birch was used for rifle stocks. For Mosin, SKS, AK-47 etc…
No matter what i always carry my cold steel shovel my silkysaw bigboy and my baby belt axe(1lb 12inch) I also got a walking stick with one side made to fit the shovel as a long handle(around 6ft)!i can carry all 3 on my belt giving me extra space in my backpack!
Yeah, I like some of cold steel's products. I have one of their kukri's, and a Finn Bear knife. The Finn Bear I pack when salmon fishing, ( I live in the PNW ) and is a highly prized knife. Takes a good edge, holds it pretty well.
FWIW, I'll add an alternate view. I've had one of the Glock Entrenching tool since the early 1980's when they were first introduced to the US and got an insane price on it. I've carried it and used it while working on a land-surveying crew where we had to backpack concrete or granite monuments and excavate down to 2.5 to 3 feet to bury the monument and stabilize it. We didn't have an option to choose where we placed the monuments, so the digging could be an option. Sometimes we tried to carry a full-sized shovel but these shovels were a very heavy option. Typically other crew members packed in the shovels Dave shows and the worked ok in their own right. As to cutting tools, unless you were an instrument man, which for five years I did that job, you carried a bush axe or bank blade or a chain saw with the axe. As an instrument man, many carried various machetes, one guy carried a Woodsman's Pal, I sometimes carried a kukri. so we never really had a need to use our shovels as cutting tools other than the odd root which might be in the way. After 10 or so years with land surveying crews, I worked as an engineering inspector/project representative/field engineer where working well off the beaten path I often carried the Glock Shovel to perform various tasks, but primarily doing limited excavations. Since those times, the Glock shovel has ridden the back of my trucks and hs dug me out of various 'predicaments' ranging from sand on the Outer Banks to Georgia red clay, with rocks mixed in. The Glock shovel absolutely isn't for everyone, and yes the built-in saw works quite well, and the limited sharpening on the edges of the shovel can cut wood and split wood, but I usually keep a larger cutting tool close to me than the shovel. If you look at it as a tool that is used with the parameters of it's design it does well. But I don't think it's the kind of tool that is designed for continual abuse. Then again, I don't often intentionally abuse my tools. On another note, I'd like to try that titanium shovel
I own the middle modell in full metal (no plastic) and wooden handle from the GDR. I also own the fixed shovel on the far right (Cold Steel) and I can tell you, I abused that one a lot. Used a stone on the end of the handle to crack bolders with the blade and used the blade to hack sea hardened, thick wood. Never bend, nothing cracked. Love it! But it lacks options and is fairly short. It was my shovel for trekking via bicycle, because my gear already was far beyond ultra light. It was good to dig a hole for certain situations and I used it to fasten my tarp in a emergency situation due to lack of trees. Anyway, the GDR shovel has more options, BUT my weapon of choice is the folding shovel of the German Bundeswehr (old model with wooden handle as well). That one is a tank, literally, due to very heavy weight, but also the possibility to use brutal force. Not only do I love to use the spike, but how it operates. The GDR one would most likely fail on the same tasks. In the end, it's really tough to decide what to use. As long as life is a walk on the moon, you can decide what to take on your trip for what purposes, but in a survival situation like a bug out, you have to make one choice. Frankly, I would go for the Cold Steele, but the Bundeswehr shovel is also a pretty mean weapon....well, the Cold Steele holds a mean edge as well. Just saying. Hope we can all rather be happy campers instead of Mad Maxes though.
I owned the titanium shovel and its great unless you want to do any chopping. For value and multipurpose, the CS Special Forces is hard to beat and I picked up a Russian surplus version too. The CS is beefier, but it's nice to have an original in the collection. CS has probably sold 1000s of these shovels!
I have the German e-tool with the pick I like it a lot but its heavy and stays in my camper but besides digging holes it doubles as a dutch oven tool, shoveling coals and the pick as a lid lifter. You would really have to work at breaking the handle even if you were doing it on purpose!
I carry the titanium head, pretty handy by itself! When I need a longer handle my hiking staff is tapered to fit the shovel socket, I can use it as needed then return it to my one piece kydex cover attached to my pack! If I could have but one tool, it would be this one!
On the cold steel shovel, I like to flatten the handle a bit to make chopping more "handy." Make it a bit oval, so that the edge of the shovel is easier to control.
I have all of these shovels(and a few more) The Cold Steel Special Forces shovel is also my favorite. The titanium saperka is nice and light but a bit too light for good chopping. Cold Steel also now makes the Spetsnaz shovel which has a longer handle and a larger head. It's size/weight are closer to a medium sized ax. It chops about as well as my Granfors Bruk Scandinavian forest ax, the relatively thin blade bites deep into wood BUT it's nigh worthless for splitting. Not that that should surprise anyone.
I had the Vietnam era with the wood handle, that thing moved at least 10 yards of dirt. It was used to dig many holes, traps, gulleys, mud, snow, and even an underground fort that was probably 4×7×10 feet. I never had a problem with the handle. I now own the metal folder, I prefer the straight handle because it is much m ok r ergonomic when in the hoe pisition. Thanks for all your videos Dave.
Dave, I shortened the handle on the CS to make it comfortable to chop with, and if on my knees I can dig a shallow hole or trench with the downsized handle. I reduced the end where it inserts into the feral. For larger tasks I cut a long branch and insert it into the shovel just like IAWoodsman does. The tool is mission specific. I have also been evaluating the Gerber Jr combo machete and saw. I’m in the process of making a pvc guard for it.
Was on the fence but makes sense about your opinion on the cold steel shovel think I am going to get one. Was needing something better for gathering fire wood but I always want stuff to be multi purpose! Great video!
Folding shovel: Look who produces them and make sure the "vietnam style" (other countries still issue them) is a real surplus one. I used one which was aftermarket, looked solid but broke very easily. I was in the german military and we got issued the "vietnam style" but with a different pouch (flecktarn and attachment system for a Lochkoppel).
I broke a new tri-fold e-tool in Basic and was permanently soured on the design. Bought an old M51 e-tool at a surplus store when I got to FT Bragg and it dug and chopped for me all over the world for almost 4 years. Have used it for odd jobs around the property for the last 35 years and its held up perfectly (a lot better than I have!). I’m sure it will be digging holes for somebody long after I’m gone. The longer wooden handle and the separate pick axe opposite the shovel blade make it the pinnacle of e-tool design, in my opinion.
Nice one! I have the Swedish showel myself. Carried it in field when i served in our army. Today i have it in my RV togeather with the snow blade attachement to it. Use it often! 👌🏻💪🏻. I think it's more ergonomic to shovel with compared to the others due to the handles form. Popular at badger hunting! I also have a foldable with wooden handle, old East German or Polish i believe. That one has served for years in different cars. Never seen the Coldsteel one before. Looked nice to chop with 😁👍🏻.
I bought one of those surplus folding shovels in 1990, ex German army but the same style as the GI ones.its been used and beat up for 30 years now and it's still perfectly serviceable. I just clean it after use then put it away. Never let me down.sure it's a heavy lump of steel to carry about but it works 😊
Honestly with advances in plastic, it can actually be better than metal in many applications. Overall, those Fiskars shovels are being used in Finnish defense forces 24/7 there really hasn't been any issues with them. Same is with welding, it can be better option than bolting, but really you can only see that with testing. Overall, intuition with these things is tricky, bolting usually is better because it's easier to make it work, but good welding can actually be better since you are literally just bonding metal together. For example I revently was buying pretty nice staniless steel cooking pot, but I was worried because they used weldin in the handles, but I saw one video where they literally jumped on the handles of the pot.
20 years? i thought is quite newer model :O . i mean, i know its out for some time (im owning one for last 6 years) but didnt knew its out for 20 years or so...
I've had the folding shovel with the pick for about 15 years now. Needs a bit of oil but works like a charm considering the beating I give it. I've used it on ice, snow, dirt and finger thick roots. Also makes a passable chair.
I'm used to the folding straight- handle shovels from being a Boy Scout. If the riveted handle is a concern, you merely need to modify it prior to taking it afield. Remove the rivets and replace them with screws, making it just as easy to replace the handle as the Spetsnaz. The multiple positions make it a far more versatile tool than the Spetsnaz, in my opinion.
I've had the Vietnam style folder for decades without experiencing any hint of failure. I've seen it modified with a metal handle. I used it mostly for relic hunting to dig many 1000's of holes and chopped through countless roots. For speed and efficiency, you simply can't beat the "hoe" position for trenching vs the static spades. It's also made a decent fulcrum for moving/lifting logs or dislodging large stones/rocks and as a hammer for stakes. Want/need a small shelf? Hang it in hoe position. A makeshift sickle. Ground scraper. Coal mover. Single folders are so much more versatile.
I have a surplus 1956 East German pick shovel with carrier pouch. Had that thing almost 20 years now and it's still rock solid including the wood handle. Very heavy compared to a tri fold but built to last.
Great video, I never thought about using it to cook with over a campfire. That would be great to be able to cook a couple eggs and bacon on it or even to fry some fish.
I have the second version e-tool. Issued, like my Ontario machete, before deployment to Vietnam with the Navy. Have had and used them for decades out in the bush. Unfortunately, the machete issue sheath, made of canvas, rotted out years ago. Not to worry. I do leather work and made a replacement.
I keep an all steel z fold type in my truck and it's gotten me unstuck twice in winter, by digging out a path in deep snow and by spreading dirt from the ditch to get traction and get myself and others up an icy hill. (Worked great on frozen ground.)
You should of brought a couple of the small regular shovels available at places like TSC the ones that have fiber glass or plastic handles available in round point and square type just for comparison to the military versions.
I’ve had a Cold Steel shovel mounted to my ATV for 4 years now and it’s my most used tool here at the ranch. I have a tomahawk target and the Special Forces shovel is much easier to throw and stick than a tomahawk. 👍🏼
The e-tool is the bane of my existence. The only good thin about it is the ability to morph into the "NCO seat". The Russians dont get a lot right, but the spetznaz shovel is my main squeeze. Not a fan of titanium, since titanium is notorious for not holding an edge- there's a reason you dont see titanium knives. The extra weight of steel is worth it for the better edge retention. But that's just my opinion.
I possess a static shovel and a folder. I prefer the static for some reason. Feels good in my hands. Used for digging of course, but also good for bush whacking using its sharp edge.
Big Fan Dave! I carry an old US Etool in the Jeep, WW2 style, with a wood handle, an essential piece of kit. For woods carry I found an "Expedition" butterfly shovel/chopper. The steel lined wooden handles swivel like a butterfly knife and cover the sharp edges of the tool. It digs, it chops, it cuts wire, it opens bottles, it has serrated and straight chopping edges and it only weighs a little over a pound. I could probably even fry something on it, but that might draw the temper. The edges of the wooden handles needed rounding and the hinges were hollow rivets that I doubled up on with additional rivets to strengthen it. The blurb on the packaging even suggests throwing this thing! You might not have seen anything like it, a shovel/ chopper with butterfly handles, but it works great!
I've carried the same Cold Steel Shovel for almost a decade now. In both Car and pack. It's done everything from dig a massive firepit to cook a whole hog, to build a sweat lodge, to fry breakfast, to win a Tomahawk throwing Competition! Cold Steel can be Very Mall Ninja-ey But this, their magnum blowguns, and several of their throwing knives, will always have my recommendation.
I’ve got the titanium one, I put a new cold steel hickory handle and sheath on it. The Russian sheath, handle were a bit below par. It’s now a really nice tool
Dave once again your explanation is appreciated thanks to be honest there are 3 of you guys out here making these vids for us and all 3 of you are really detailed in y’all’s explanations so again thanks
Brings back memories. Way back when I was a conscript in the Bundeswehr, a guy from my platoon broke the handle on his shovel (the German button-lock type w/ pick) doing exactly that: chopping wood, because we didn't have anything else.
I agree completely. Cold Steel Special Forces Shovel hands down. The handle is easily replaced and can be swapped out for a full length handle for heavier work. It can't be beat for versatility, price and durability. As far as weight goes my opinion is most of us have fat to lose or muscle to gain so our attention is best focused on fitness rather than shaving a few ounces off our pack.
I was issued an AMES E tool back in 93. Still use it today. Primarily for digging holes to squat over, and as a fire poker in camp. Used it once to dig my SUV out. Gotta be careful with them, you can pinch the snot out of yourself.
Thank you for addressing this overlooked subject, especially in so much detail. While so many would-be survival experts will go into excruciating detail on anything that can be construed as a weapon (e.g. knives, axes, and especially guns), they will overlook purely working tools like saws or shovels, even when asked, despite how much more likely you are to need them. Apparently, these just aren't macho enough for some men to even discuss.
I've had the German pick / shovel for many years and it can take a beating . I dug a 6' pit straight down thru shale for an outdoor sewer ejector tank and it made quick work of it . A straight shovel and digging bar would have been more difficult . Thanks for the good review .
Hi Dave, as a treasure hunter i can say : 8:35 the pick makes this spade (der alte BW Spaten) the best choice for stony ground. The cold steel is my other first choice.
Have two of the shovels you show fyi the one with the pick on the back that I have the steel is tempered good enough to use as a flint and steel fire starter if ever the need arises so you could chop, split, scrap shavings or make feather sticks with a shovel and than with a little char light it with the shovel and flint rock (been there done that,it works) sharpen the end and one side leaving the othe blunt for fire starting or batoning save the handle a little longer if you baton it instead of using in like an axe when splitting food for thought
Thanks that was a great breakdown of the options. I heard somewhere the Soviets looked at those fixed shovels as kind of a backup weapon as well and you can see it could be pretty handy.
consider the glock E-tool. it weighs 1.5lb(half that of the usgi tri-fold),a slight radius in the shovel(holds more material per scoop),it has a straight handle instead of triangle handle(easier to swing),a saw blade inside handle for cutting roots and small branches,a straight position and 90 degree position but also a '135' position that allows cleaning out the bottom of a hole easier,it has a polymer handle which doesn't numb your hands as quick in cold weather. i've used it as a machete,hoe,pry bar,lifter/lever in addition to a shovel. Cold steel recently came out with the "trench" shovel with a slightly longer handle and bigger head the crkt "Trencher" is a new fixed handle folding blade e-tool.it has a steel handle,a reinforced tip and heavy nylon sheath. however it sucks to dig with compared to the glock and gerber e tools then there is always the trusty U-dig-it stainless steel folding trowel
I use the cold steel shovel many years hundreds of days in the bush. I made it a longer handle big improvement 4 inches . It is by far the most versatile loved tool. Every outdoorsman should own one! Some improvements would be a longer handle option, a better sheath it should have sharpening stone pouch and the screws though they stick out should be a slot / bolt head you can use pliers not Philips is a better upgrade in my opinion. And if used for carving and shaving wood a rounded corner not a straight angle. Just my thoughts. Slap it into a stump and make feather sticks, turn fat wood into inferno dust in a hurry, hundreds of great uses.
Dave, loved you on TV and still follow you now. Think maybe you could do a video on collapsible rakes. I see so many people go out an make camps in the woods and there is six inches of leaves and brush on the ground. Thanks for sharing!
Evening Mr. Dave hope you and your family are doing well. I've been watching since I was 16 and I'm 21 now. You've taught me alot and opened a new hobby to me. I wanted to say thanks for teaching so much and asking nothing from your viewers. We appreciate you Dave and everything you do for us as well. Have a good week.
I have a Spetsnaz one. I’m not gonna bother with something else. Really happy with it. Never failed me once.
It's because you get it. That Army one is garbage. The other one is flimsy. I've had all but the spetanaz shithole shovel
I've tried a few folding shovels, from cheap ones to expensive ones. Nearly all failed quickly, usually the threads seize up and you can no longer take them down.
Moved to the Cold Steel and while the handle is less convenient for packing it just works without any fuss, you can change out the handle for an improvised longer one if necessary, and it's much lighter.
18 minutes that flew by. No padding, no repetition and nteresting all the way. Good vid!
I broke my cold steel shovel handle on third strike on tree limb and replaced with a hickory bat handle never broke again.
Anytime I see a old man talk about things I sit and listen knowledge is a blessing from them
Another thing about the wood handle shovels that are screwed and not pinned is that you can shove a 4-5 foot branch on it to get a full length shovel with little hassle
I'm surprised you didn't mention replacing the pins with bolts beforehand to make in the field repairs possible on the wood handles
Good idea
Same here. I ground the heads off one side and replaced with bolts and wingnuts. But I just had a light switch flip when he mentioned the wood screws. I’ll be making my own replacement handle (for practice) and using some short wood screws.
This is one of my favorite videos you've done, David! I'm an army veteran and I've been traveling the country, tent camping for the last 8 months on my Harley. Rough life. I can certainly attest to everything David Canterbury has said and I have more info. When I was in basic training, we used the tri-fold shovels to chop down small trees and all the soldiers who let the locknut slip out of place, broke their shovel. So if you're gonna use your Aims shovel for chopping, splitting, and trenching, make damn sure you are constantly checking and tightening your locknut. Additionally, I figured out a new way to break a military shovel recently. While I was traveling the coast of Oregon, I got really into building rocket stoves and hobo stoves. I thought It'd be a cool idea to fold my shovel perpendicular to itself and use it as a rocket stove. It worked really well and the handle acts as a stovetop for my frying pan. However, the heat from the fire melted the threads of the plastic locknut and welded it into place FOREVER. Hehehe. Lesson learned. The Gerber shovel is just as durable as the military shovel, David, I promise. I have anger issues, which I am working on. And one night I got frustrated while pounding in my tent stakes, because shovels make lousy hammers. So, I tried to break my Gerber tri-fold shovel. I swung it as hard as I could, as hard as I can at some hard-packed rocky desert dirt several times and threw it into a wash. It did not break, not at all. Gerber also makes a smaller, collapsible backpacking shovel. Do not buy it. It worked okay for digging, but as soon as you try to pick and trench with it, it breaks within a few swings. Just like the tri-fold shovels at Walmart. God bless you David Canterbury, you've been an amazing inspiration and mentor to me over the last year, watching your videos. Thank you for everything you do.
Wow the concept of using your shovel as an improvised piece of cookware is probably the coolest thing i've heard all week
I paid $2.00 at a yard sale for a rusty Cold Steel shovel. It didn't take much work to clean it up, sharpen the edges, paint it, and put a beeswax/turpentine/ linseed oil finish on the handle. It lays beside the driver's seat in my pickup, held by a velcro strap in the seat cover. I haven't had to use it on snow or anything else, yet.
A shovel is a very underrated weapon. I found a shovel made by Bully tools that is about 3/4 the size of a USGI shovel. It doesnt fold. The handle is a piece of pipe welded to the spade. It weighs no more than a pound.
I am a veteran(Army SAPPER) and take it from me it is the shit. I sharpened one side of it. They market it as a garden trowel.
I used to hate the idea of using a shovel to cut wood, but now I realize it's a huge advantage to carry my Condor tactical shovel. It's lighter and smaller than my tomahawk, but can do more stuff. The shovel doesn't have to be very sharp to build a small shelter.
The Swedish shovel is named KLAS, Short Light Attack Shovel.
(Kort, Lätt AttackSpade)
Klas is also a common Swedish name.
Rabbi Goldstein, a Korean War veteran, told me that his shovel was his last weapon when fighting the Chinese. He said that he dispatched several with a shovel when his Colt 1911 and his S&W were empty.
I still have my military entrenching tool from 1987 when I was in the Marines, it does the job each and every time.
I love my Cold Steel shovel. I've had people question my judgement for carrying a such a heavy item on backpacking excursions, but they sing a different tune when they see how fast I can process fire wood, make a fire pit, and dig a poop hole with it. LOL
I also have a tri-fold e-tool, but find it underwhelming and have assigned it to a spot in my car camping gear. On such car trips, I often end up also taking the Cold Steel shovel and using it instead.
That Swedish one is cool. Love the T handle.
My Cold Steel shovel has great handle, it drank about 20 coats of linseed oil after I got the varnish off, finally some beeswax. Perfect grain. Didn't come fully sharpened. I put an edge down one side
The T handle looks uncomfortable, something that you might use with gloves when using for a long period of time.
I was in the Corps for 12 years. I loved my E-tool. That thing was handy and tough. If you're out there for a few days, take a shovel. You will find loads of uses for it.
Avoid the Chinese knock-off trifold shovels. They're just awful. A few minutes into a light digging chore mine came apart and cut my hand severely enough that it required a trip to the hospital. Certifiable junk. I'd imagine their actual military shovels are as good as anyone else's but the stuff that ends up going to US commercial "tactical" market are garbage.
Season 3 of Alone did a pretty good job of showing the worth of a camp shovel.
I have the titanium variant from Russia as well and I'm really pleased with it. It is MUCH lighter than my WWII vintage folder. The non-hardwood handle is a non-issue for me. I camp with an axe, so I don't need to use the shovel as a striking tool. The weight-saving from the lower-density handle complements the lightweight head for an extremely lightweight tool overall which is more than sufficiently robust.
My Spetznaz shovel is almost as old as yours, and is still going strong!
Excellent piece of kit, I never go into the wilds without it.
actually it is not any "special" just a regular small army shovel. sharpen it good to chop heads off
I also like the Glock entrenching tool. Much lighter, And packable.
The Swedish shovel has an aluminium attachment, to make the shovel wider for snow/sand.
I have seen that but do not own one, thank you for mentioning it, I had forgotten
@David Canterbury I agree, I’m Cold Steel Special Forces Shovel all the way. I know this an old video. Any chance of an update on that titanium one. Maybe even a link if it’s still available?
This three-folding thing I broke the first time when I went to my allotment, dug up a slightly larger human size bush with lot's of roots. The retaining nut part didn't stand up to stress forces apply and bent into itself.
I keep a short handled fixed shovel in my car. Comes in handy and plus can be used as a weapon as last resorts
Good reference! except the authentic Russian shovel actually uses birch wood for handle which is very strong wood also cost effective. Birch tree is widely spread type of hardwood there. For Russia it’s works all right. It’s been in use beginning with Russian Empire. The same birch was used for rifle stocks. For Mosin, SKS, AK-47 etc…
No matter what i always carry my cold steel shovel my silkysaw bigboy and my baby belt axe(1lb 12inch)
I also got a walking stick with one side made to fit the shovel as a long handle(around 6ft)!i can carry all 3 on my belt giving me extra space in my backpack!
Yeah,I own a cold steel shovel,I've never had any problems out of it,,,,I like cold steel products...
Yeah, I like some of cold steel's products. I have one of their kukri's, and a Finn Bear knife. The Finn Bear I pack when salmon fishing, ( I live in the PNW ) and is a highly prized knife. Takes a good edge, holds it pretty well.
I love my cold steel shovel! It stays on my pack and replaced my hatchet.
I've used the Fiskars/Gerber model extensively for almost 15 years, it's solid. I keep one in my Jeep and take one into the sticks with me.
Cory Murphy I did plumbing for a couple years and that was the only shovel I’d use trenching in tight crawl spaces. Still going strong.
3 years with my cold steel heavy use no problems yet
FWIW, I'll add an alternate view. I've had one of the Glock Entrenching tool since the early 1980's when they were first introduced to the US and got an insane price on it. I've carried it and used it while working on a land-surveying crew where we had to backpack concrete or granite monuments and excavate down to 2.5 to 3 feet to bury the monument and stabilize it. We didn't have an option to choose where we placed the monuments, so the digging could be an option. Sometimes we tried to carry a full-sized shovel but these shovels were a very heavy option. Typically other crew members packed in the shovels Dave shows and the worked ok in their own right. As to cutting tools, unless you were an instrument man, which for five years I did that job, you carried a bush axe or bank blade or a chain saw with the axe. As an instrument man, many carried various machetes, one guy carried a Woodsman's Pal, I sometimes carried a kukri. so we never really had a need to use our shovels as cutting tools other than the odd root which might be in the way.
After 10 or so years with land surveying crews, I worked as an engineering inspector/project representative/field engineer where working well off the beaten path I often carried the Glock Shovel to perform various tasks, but primarily doing limited excavations. Since those times, the Glock shovel has ridden the back of my trucks and hs dug me out of various 'predicaments' ranging from sand on the Outer Banks to Georgia red clay, with rocks mixed in.
The Glock shovel absolutely isn't for everyone, and yes the built-in saw works quite well, and the limited sharpening on the edges of the shovel can cut wood and split wood, but I usually keep a larger cutting tool close to me than the shovel. If you look at it as a tool that is used with the parameters of it's design it does well. But I don't think it's the kind of tool that is designed for continual abuse. Then again, I don't often intentionally abuse my tools.
On another note, I'd like to try that titanium shovel
I own the middle modell in full metal (no plastic) and wooden handle from the GDR.
I also own the fixed shovel on the far right (Cold Steel) and I can tell you, I abused that one a lot. Used a stone on the end of the handle to crack bolders with the blade and used the blade to hack sea hardened, thick wood. Never bend, nothing cracked. Love it! But it lacks options and is fairly short. It was my shovel for trekking via bicycle, because my gear already was far beyond ultra light. It was good to dig a hole for certain situations and I used it to fasten my tarp in a emergency situation due to lack of trees. Anyway, the GDR shovel has more options, BUT my weapon of choice is the folding shovel of the German Bundeswehr (old model with wooden handle as well). That one is a tank, literally, due to very heavy weight, but also the possibility to use brutal force. Not only do I love to use the spike, but how it operates. The GDR one would most likely fail on the same tasks. In the end, it's really tough to decide what to use. As long as life is a walk on the moon, you can decide what to take on your trip for what purposes, but in a survival situation like a bug out, you have to make one choice. Frankly, I would go for the Cold Steele, but the Bundeswehr shovel is also a pretty mean weapon....well, the Cold Steele holds a mean edge as well. Just saying. Hope we can all rather be happy campers instead of Mad Maxes though.
I recently got the Cold Steel Special Forces shovel and have been very impressed with it so far
I owned the titanium shovel and its great unless you want to do any chopping. For value and multipurpose, the CS Special Forces is hard to beat and I picked up a Russian surplus version too. The CS is beefier, but it's nice to have an original in the collection. CS has probably sold 1000s of these shovels!
I have the German e-tool with the pick I like it a lot but its heavy and stays in my camper but besides digging holes it doubles as a dutch oven tool, shoveling coals and the pick as a lid lifter.
You would really have to work at breaking the handle even if you were doing it on purpose!
Good Video/Info!!!!!....THE LAST 3 SHOVELS WERE ALSO SHARPENED AND USED FOR HAND-TO-HAND COMBAT/NOT JUST FOR CHOPPING SOME WOOD!!!!!
I carry the titanium head, pretty handy by itself! When I need a longer handle my hiking staff is tapered to fit the shovel socket, I can use it as needed then return it to my one piece kydex cover attached to my pack! If I could have but one tool, it would be this one!
On the cold steel shovel, I like to flatten the handle a bit to make chopping more "handy." Make it a bit oval, so that the edge of the shovel is easier to control.
I have all of these shovels(and a few more) The Cold Steel Special Forces shovel is also my favorite. The titanium saperka is nice and light but a bit too light for good chopping. Cold Steel also now makes the Spetsnaz shovel which has a longer handle and a larger head. It's size/weight are closer to a medium sized ax. It chops about as well as my Granfors Bruk Scandinavian forest ax, the relatively thin blade bites deep into wood BUT it's nigh worthless for splitting. Not that that should surprise anyone.
In my time in the german BW we were trained to dig foxholes in prone position. Its only possible with folding shovels
I had the Vietnam era with the wood handle, that thing moved at least 10 yards of dirt. It was used to dig many holes, traps, gulleys, mud, snow, and even an underground fort that was probably 4×7×10 feet.
I never had a problem with the handle. I now own the metal folder, I prefer the straight handle because it is much m ok r ergonomic when in the hoe pisition.
Thanks for all your videos Dave.
I love my cold steel shovel . I stripped the coatings on mine tho. Forced a patina on the blade and linseed oiled the handle
All of those are great for filling sandbags too
Dave, I shortened the handle on the CS to make it comfortable to chop with, and if on my knees I can dig a shallow hole or trench with the downsized handle. I reduced the end where it inserts into the feral. For larger tasks I cut a long branch and insert it into the shovel just like IAWoodsman does. The tool is mission specific. I have also been evaluating the Gerber Jr combo machete and saw. I’m in the process of making a pvc guard for it.
Was on the fence but makes sense about your opinion on the cold steel shovel think I am going to get one. Was needing something better for gathering fire wood but I always want stuff to be multi purpose! Great video!
You could always take tose rivets out and replace with bolts
I’ve got the German model with the pick. I rarely use it except for cooking. Taking coals out to cook over is what mine gets used for the most.
Folding shovel:
Look who produces them and make sure the "vietnam style" (other countries still issue them) is a real surplus one. I used one which was aftermarket, looked solid but broke very easily. I was in the german military and we got issued the "vietnam style" but with a different pouch (flecktarn and attachment system for a Lochkoppel).
Dave, your honesty with the cold steel products is awesome. Thanks for the review!
I have a reproduction of the NVA short handled shovel and it works great. It doesn't have a pouch or a scabbard to carry it though.
I broke a new tri-fold e-tool in Basic and was permanently soured on the design. Bought an old M51 e-tool at a surplus store when I got to FT Bragg and it dug and chopped for me all over the world for almost 4 years. Have used it for odd jobs around the property for the last 35 years and its held up perfectly (a lot better than I have!). I’m sure it will be digging holes for somebody long after I’m gone. The longer wooden handle and the separate pick axe opposite the shovel blade make it the pinnacle of e-tool design, in my opinion.
Nice one! I have the Swedish showel myself. Carried it in field when i served in our army. Today i have it in my RV togeather with the snow blade attachement to it. Use it often! 👌🏻💪🏻. I think it's more ergonomic to shovel with compared to the others due to the handles form. Popular at badger hunting! I also have a foldable with wooden handle, old East German or Polish i believe. That one has served for years in different cars. Never seen the Coldsteel one before. Looked nice to chop with 😁👍🏻.
I bought one of those surplus folding shovels in 1990, ex German army but the same style as the GI ones.its been used and beat up for 30 years now and it's still perfectly serviceable. I just clean it after use then put it away. Never let me down.sure it's a heavy lump of steel to carry about but it works 😊
I've had a three peice colman folding camp shovel for 20 years or so and it is great. I got a new one and it was total junk.
Honestly with advances in plastic, it can actually be better than metal in many applications. Overall, those Fiskars shovels are being used in Finnish defense forces 24/7 there really hasn't been any issues with them. Same is with welding, it can be better option than bolting, but really you can only see that with testing.
Overall, intuition with these things is tricky, bolting usually is better because it's easier to make it work, but good welding can actually be better since you are literally just bonding metal together.
For example I revently was buying pretty nice staniless steel cooking pot, but I was worried because they used weldin in the handles, but I saw one video where they literally jumped on the handles of the pot.
This is a good review of shovel options for the bushcrafter. I've carried the Cold Steel version for about 20 years and it is an excellent tool.
20 years? i thought is quite newer model :O . i mean, i know its out for some time (im owning one for last 6 years) but didnt knew its out for 20 years or so...
I’ve toted the cold steel version for quite a while. The extra weight of the head helps with chopping.
I've had the folding shovel with the pick for about 15 years now. Needs a bit of oil but works like a charm considering the beating I give it. I've used it on ice, snow, dirt and finger thick roots. Also makes a passable chair.
It was army surplus when I got it so I have no idea how old it is. The casing is leather though so that may be a clue
I'm used to the folding straight- handle shovels from being a Boy Scout. If the riveted handle is a concern, you merely need to modify it prior to taking it afield. Remove the rivets and replace them with screws, making it just as easy to replace the handle as the Spetsnaz. The multiple positions make it a far more versatile tool than the Spetsnaz, in my opinion.
I've had the Vietnam style folder for decades without experiencing any hint of failure. I've seen it modified with a metal handle. I used it mostly for relic hunting to dig many 1000's of holes and chopped through countless roots. For speed and efficiency, you simply can't beat the "hoe" position for trenching vs the static spades. It's also made a decent fulcrum for moving/lifting logs or dislodging large stones/rocks and as a hammer for stakes. Want/need a small shelf? Hang it in hoe position. A makeshift sickle. Ground scraper. Coal mover. Single folders are so much more versatile.
The Cold Steel shovel has been my pack tool for 10+ years. It would also make a fearsome defensive weapon, even an impromptu buckler.
Nice video Dave. I've been keeping one in my trunk ever since I got stuck in a snowy ditch outside silver falls OR.
I have a surplus 1956 East German pick shovel with carrier pouch. Had that thing almost 20 years now and it's still rock solid including the wood handle. Very heavy compared to a tri fold but built to last.
I got myself an old knockoff m1943 shovel that I plan on restoring, hopefully it takes some abuse on the trail.
Great video, I never thought about using it to cook with over a campfire. That would be great to be able to cook a couple eggs and bacon on it or even to fry some fish.
I have the second version e-tool. Issued, like my Ontario machete, before deployment to Vietnam with the Navy. Have had and used them for decades out in the bush. Unfortunately, the machete issue sheath, made of canvas, rotted out years ago. Not to worry. I do leather work and made a replacement.
I keep the cold steel shovel in my truck. Great thrower as well for fun.
I keep an all steel z fold type in my truck and it's gotten me unstuck twice in winter, by digging out a path in deep snow and by spreading dirt from the ditch to get traction and get myself and others up an icy hill. (Worked great on frozen ground.)
You should of brought a couple of the small regular shovels available at places like TSC the ones that have fiber glass or plastic handles available in round point and square type just for comparison to the military versions.
I’ve had a Cold Steel shovel mounted to my ATV for 4 years now and it’s my most used tool here at the ranch. I have a tomahawk target and the Special Forces shovel is much easier to throw and stick than a tomahawk. 👍🏼
The e-tool is the bane of my existence. The only good thin about it is the ability to morph into the "NCO seat".
The Russians dont get a lot right, but the spetznaz shovel is my main squeeze. Not a fan of titanium, since titanium is notorious for not holding an edge- there's a reason you dont see titanium knives. The extra weight of steel is worth it for the better edge retention. But that's just my opinion.
Great videos Dave, I used to really enjoy watching you on Duel Survival. Thank You for continuing to educate us on self reliance.
I keep a SOG spesnaz combat throwing shovel in each of my cars. I'm very proficient with it. Each time I go into the field another one comes with me.
Cold Steel just came out with a longer handle model. I think the shovel head is a bit bigger too.
I possess a static shovel and a folder. I prefer the static for some reason. Feels good in my hands. Used for digging of course, but also good for bush whacking using its sharp edge.
Big Fan Dave! I carry an old US Etool in the Jeep, WW2 style, with a wood handle, an essential piece of kit.
For woods carry I found an "Expedition" butterfly shovel/chopper. The steel lined wooden handles swivel like a butterfly knife and cover the sharp edges of the tool. It digs, it chops, it cuts wire, it opens bottles, it has serrated and straight chopping edges and it only weighs a little over a pound. I could probably even fry something on it, but that might draw the temper.
The edges of the wooden handles needed rounding and the hinges were hollow rivets that I doubled up on with additional rivets to strengthen it. The blurb on the packaging even suggests throwing this thing!
You might not have seen anything like it, a shovel/ chopper with butterfly handles, but it works great!
Call it sacrilege, but I love my glock shovel.
I beat it up pretty hard, and it has held up..
Also makes a good seat, when folded to 90 degrees.
I've carried the same Cold Steel Shovel for almost a decade now.
In both Car and pack. It's done everything from dig a massive firepit to cook a whole hog, to build a sweat lodge, to fry breakfast, to win a Tomahawk throwing Competition!
Cold Steel can be Very Mall Ninja-ey
But this, their magnum blowguns, and several of their throwing knives, will always have my recommendation.
I’ve got the titanium one, I put a new cold steel hickory handle and sheath on it. The Russian sheath, handle were a bit below par.
It’s now a really nice tool
Dave once again your explanation is appreciated thanks to be honest there are 3 of you guys out here making these vids for us and all 3 of you are really detailed in y’all’s explanations so again thanks
Brings back memories. Way back when I was a conscript in the Bundeswehr, a guy from my platoon broke the handle on his shovel (the German button-lock type w/ pick) doing exactly that: chopping wood, because we didn't have anything else.
I agree completely. Cold Steel Special Forces Shovel hands down. The handle is easily replaced and can be swapped out for a full length handle for heavier work. It can't be beat for versatility, price and durability.
As far as weight goes my opinion is most of us have fat to lose or muscle to gain so our attention is best focused on fitness rather than shaving a few ounces off our pack.
I really want to know what kind of shirt he’s wearing I like it a lot
The handles are made from birch or ash. Which is a hardwood just not as dense as hickory. hence he lighter feel
I was issued an AMES E tool back in 93. Still use it today. Primarily for digging holes to squat over, and as a fire poker in camp. Used it once to dig my SUV out. Gotta be careful with them, you can pinch the snot out of yourself.
Dude, where’d you get the titanium one?
Thank you for addressing this overlooked subject, especially in so much detail. While so many would-be survival experts will go into excruciating detail on anything that can be construed as a weapon (e.g. knives, axes, and especially guns), they will overlook purely working tools like saws or shovels, even when asked, despite how much more likely you are to need them. Apparently, these just aren't macho enough for some men to even discuss.
I've had the German pick / shovel for many years and it can take a beating . I dug a 6' pit straight down thru shale for an outdoor sewer ejector tank and it made quick work of it . A straight shovel and digging bar would have been more difficult . Thanks for the good review .
@@mrwdpkr5851 Hi, you can edit your original post. Go over to the right and click on the 3 dots that appear.....
@@jasholden9741 Thanks
Hi Dave, as a treasure hunter i can say : 8:35 the pick makes this spade (der alte BW Spaten) the best choice for stony ground. The cold steel is my other first choice.
Lots of great reveiws on the cold steel. Shovels
Have two of the shovels you show fyi the one with the pick on the back that I have the steel is tempered good enough to use as a flint and steel fire starter if ever the need arises so you could chop, split, scrap shavings or make feather sticks with a shovel and than with a little char light it with the shovel and flint rock (been there done that,it works) sharpen the end and one side leaving the othe blunt for fire starting or batoning save the handle a little longer if you baton it instead of using in like an axe when splitting food for thought
Thanks that was a great breakdown of the options. I heard somewhere the Soviets looked at those fixed shovels as kind of a backup weapon as well and you can see it could be pretty handy.
The Cold Steel shovel was one of Zack Fowler's choice of allowed items on the Alone show. A shrewd move considering that he won. Cheers.
consider the glock E-tool. it weighs 1.5lb(half that of the usgi tri-fold),a slight radius in the shovel(holds more material per scoop),it has a straight handle instead of triangle handle(easier to swing),a saw blade inside handle for cutting roots and small branches,a straight position and 90 degree position but also a '135' position that allows cleaning out the bottom of a hole easier,it has a polymer handle which doesn't numb your hands as quick in cold weather. i've used it as a machete,hoe,pry bar,lifter/lever in addition to a shovel.
Cold steel recently came out with the "trench" shovel with a slightly longer handle and bigger head
the crkt "Trencher" is a new fixed handle folding blade e-tool.it has a steel handle,a reinforced tip and heavy nylon sheath. however it sucks to dig with compared to the glock and gerber e tools
then there is always the trusty U-dig-it stainless steel folding trowel
I use the cold steel shovel many years hundreds of days in the bush. I made it a longer handle big improvement 4 inches . It is by far the most versatile loved tool. Every outdoorsman should own one! Some improvements would be a longer handle option, a better sheath it should have sharpening stone pouch and the screws though they stick out should be a slot / bolt head you can use pliers not Philips is a better upgrade in my opinion. And if used for carving and shaving wood a rounded corner not a straight angle. Just my thoughts. Slap it into a stump and make feather sticks, turn fat wood into inferno dust in a hurry, hundreds of great uses.
I like the improved camera and audio quality of these latest videos.
Dave, loved you on TV and still follow you now. Think maybe you could do a video on collapsible rakes. I see so many people go out an make camps in the woods and there is six inches of leaves and brush on the ground. Thanks for sharing!
Most importantly… Dave. Where did you get that shirt? It’s great!